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From Dairy to Doorstep:
Milk Delivery in New England, 1860-1960
October 20, 2001 through March 3, 2002
In his heyday, the milkman was a familiar sight in New England neighborhoods. Some customers entrusted him with keys to their houses--to do his job he would enter the kitchen in the early morning hours, assess the refrigerator contents, leave fresh milk and butter, and depart without waking a soul. The National Heritage Museum presented "From Dairy to Doorstep: Milk Delivery in New England, 1860-1960," an entertaining and educational chronicle of the forces that brought the milkman to life, caused him to thrive, and, in turn, led to his near disappearance. "From Dairy to Doorstep" was organized by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in collaboration with the Museum, and was on view October 20, 2001 through March 3, 2002. The exhibition was made possible by H.P. Hood, Inc. and Elizabeth Hood McAfoose and Emily C. Hood.
"From Dairy to Doorstep" included a wide assortment of regional artifacts and selections from numerous oral histories which revealed how the milkman touched so many lives. The exhibition explained and gave meaning to a myriad of artifacts associated with milk production, milk delivery, and milk consumption. Many viewers recognized signs, advertising, milkman uniforms, dairy goods, and milk bottles. Other objects associated with milk production and milk delivery in the 1800s were new to Museum visitors. All of these objects helped illustrate the essential and changing role milk played in New England lives.
The story of the milkman is the story of a cultural icon; a connector between farm and kitchen. "He was convenience, a friend, a reassuring presence," explained Moyer. Following the Civil War, the movement of the population into cities created new markets for farmers around those cities. City dwellers had neither time nor the means to travel to local farms to buy fresh food; they needed it brought to them. The short shelf life of unprocessed milk made daily delivery and consumption an imperative. At first, milk was delivered by wagon from which milk and cream were ladled right into the customer's own container.
As city milk sales reached larger and more distant markets, it stimulated the beginning of milk factories and sophisticated delivery systems. By the 1950s, most milkmen worked for larger companies like H. P. Hood that bought unprocessed milk and cream from local farmers, and maintained a fleet of route trucks to deliver to individual households.
"From Dairy to Doorstep" was an interactive exhibition. A life-size plastic cow was plumbed for children to have fun "milking." Butter churns and other dairy-related equipment were available for visitors to explore. Video interviews with milkmen gave visitors a first hand look at what it was like to deliver milk by horse drawn wagons and sleds in all kinds of weather and to all kinds of customers. These stories were full of the unexpected. In fact, one Vermont milkman saved a burning man's life by dousing him with the liquid closest at hand, milk. A refurbished horse-drawn milk wagon was presented, as were crates and carriers with bottles of different sizes labeled to show how much they would weigh if full of milk. A memory book at the end of the show invited visitors to share their favorite milk or milkman stories.
The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), a regional organization headquartered in Boston, owns and operates 35 properties from the seventeenth century to the present. SPNEA shares New England?s architecture, landscapes, objects, and people?s stories through innovative programs for residents, visitors, and scholars. For more information, visit SPNEA online at www.SPNEA.org. or call or send for SPNEA Guide at 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, Mass. 02114, 617-227-3956.
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